INTJ-My guilty pleasures, Tom Hiddleston, Loki, Reylo, maybe some Doctor Who here and there.....whatever. I come here to get away on a daily basis. Too old to be fangirling, but I am. It's tragic.
Chapter Summary: You do not take the little tiff you had with your dad well, causing you to spiral and reveal some information you've been keeping secret for a while.
Chapter 42
Walking back into the large banquet hall, you stop near the entrance, staring blankly out into the crowd of people conversing and dining around the room. Your tears have dried by now, and you were in sort of a trance. An emotionless state. That’s the only way you could be for now to keep yourself together after your father had just ruthlessly admonished you not even five minutes ago.
Your gaze travels over to the bar and you find yourself making a beeline for it. The alcohol buzzing through your veins was helping, but it was starting to wear off. You needed more. Maybe something a little stronger than just wine. You quickly order your drink and gulp it down without much hesitance, cringing at the burn. You spin around to place the glass back on the bartop and bump into a hard body. Stumbling back, you almost fall on your ass until two large hands grab onto your shoulders to steady you.
“Oh, be of care my friend!” Thor chuckles. “It appears as if you’re a bit unsteady.”
“Just a little.” You laugh breathlessly and Thor releases his hold on your shoulders before squinting his eyes at you.
He hums, tilting his head at you knowling. “Ah, I see. If I am correct, you may have indulged in one too many cups, have you not? May I escort you somewhere else? Maybe to your sleeping quarters for you to rest?” He offers.
You think about his offer, which sounded very tempting. It was probably for the best for you to call it a night, but your intoxicated mind had other ideas.
“No, but you could take me somewhere else.” You said, giving him a grin.
He smiled back in return. “Anything for you, lady bean.”
******
“My lady, this is not exactly what I meant when I said anything.” Thor remarks while escorting you out of the elevator. “I do not think that visiting Loki is a good idea at this moment. Especially not in your, erh, current state.”
You wave one hand off carelessly in the air as the other holds your heels. You were tired of walking in them and would rather walk all the way to Loki’s cell barefoot.
“I’m fine.” You all but slur, that last drink having gone straight to your head way faster than the first few. “I just wanted to stop by and check on him. To tell him … goodnight!” You grin.
“Alright,” Thor says with a look of mild concern on his face. “But only for a bit. I will be back to collect you shortly.” He promises, opening the doors for you to enter the room.
Loki’s back was turned to you both, but he quickly looked over his shoulder as he heard your arrival.
“Hey Loki! Look, it’s me and Thor. We’re here to tell you goodnight.”
He looked highly perplexed as you neared his cell, glancing between you and Thor in suspicion. The golden god of thunder was carefully leading you further into the room while you had a syrupy drunk grin on your face. It must have been quite a sight.
“Thor, what have you done?” Loki asks suspiciously, eyes not traveling away from you.
Thor shakes his head. “I did not a thing except bring her down here per her request. I have made multiple attempts to redirect her to the safety of her room. However, she has not obliged.”
You excitedly ran up to the heavy door of the cell and unlocked it, entering with Thor not too far behind you.
Loki’s whole body stiffened as you waltz past him toward one of the arm chairs, plopping down heavily and lying back with a sigh.
Both brothers glanced over at one another before looking back over to you, Thor with a look of mild amusement on his face, and Loki with a perplexed frown.
“Brother, if her presence here bothers you, I can-.” Thor starts before Loki interrupts him with a wave of his hand.
“Nonsense. Leave us at once.” He demands..
“Are you sure-.”
Loki snaps his head over to his brother and fixes him with a glare, causing Thor to close his mouth and back away slowly. “Alright. I will be back for her shortly,” His blue eyes fixed on you then back to Loki. “Behave, brother.” He warns Loki before leaving the secure cell.
Loki turns back to see you still in the same position, leaning back in his chair with your eyes closed shut. He moves slowly, so as to not startle you, then quietly takes a seat in the armchair opposite of you.
You decide then to open your eyes, peering at him with a fond smile, but he doesn’t return it. Instead, he studies you curiously. The way you're relaxed. The way you just let yourself into his space with no hesitance. Without being nervous. Without being afraid. The way you’re so carefree with him. He doesn’t know how to take it. How to deal with it.
You smile at him for a long while, both of you sitting in silence as he simply observes you and you him, neither of you saying a word. Not until he sees your fond smile transform into a sad one, making his heart ache.
“What is the matter, little one?” He asks softly, taking in your saddened features as you tried to keep the smile on your face.
Your lip trembled just a bit before you stuttered out. “Y-you don’t like me in here with you … do you?” You say more than ask.
His guarded heart breaks even more at that. Before he could open his mouth to respond, you continued. “I mean, let’s face it Loki, I can tell. I can tell that you’re uncomfortable with me here in the cell, in your space, and I know I'm just doing my job, but I’m also your friend. So it makes me sad that you feel that way. I didn’t know how you’d react to this, and I'm sorry for making plans without telling you first, but I don’t think I expected for you to act so … so strange. Did I expect anger? Maybe. I could deal with that, but I don’t know how to deal with whatever this is…” You trail off, feeling like a small weight was slowly being lifted off of you the more you confessed to him about how you felt.
Loki’s piercing gaze doesn’t waver away from you and he doesn’t really know what to say to you. He doesn’t know what he could say to you that wouldn’t sound like an excuse. His hand instinctively tries to reach out to you before he stops it, instead, rising out of his chair to move closer towards you. He nears as you look down at your hands, surely looking like a sad little puppy. Long limbs move and fold to sit on the floor next to your chair. You peek over at him in surprise, seeing as he’s moved closer towards you on his own.
Gazing up at you, he meets your eyes. “Darling, I-.” He begins, but you cut him off, not wanting to hear the truth. Not wanting to hear him confirm that everything you said was correct, but in a softer package so as not to hurt your feelings even further. You didn’t know if you could take any more disappointment tonight.
“No, it’s okay, you don’t have to explain. It’s fine.” You say, not sounding fine at all. “I’m used to people not wanting me around. People at school think I’m strange, Kayla doesn’t hang out with me as much as she used to, and even my dad…” You pause when your bottom lip wobbles, eyes glossing over. “My own dad doesn’t want to be around me anymore. He doesn’t want to talk to me. He’s avoiding me and thinks that I can’t tell, but I can.” You trail your watery eyes over to the god sitting on the floor next to you. “I can always tell. Yeah, I may be a bit slow and oblivious at times but eventually I do catch on. Maybe I remind him too much of my mom and because of that, he can’t stand to be around me. I can barely stand to be around me either.” You say pathetically, looking back away to the floor to avoid the silent green gaze you felt upon your figure.
You didn’t know why you were saying all this to him, because usually you wouldn’t. This was unprofessional, and surely he didn’t want to hear you whine about your feelings when his situation was much worse. He couldn’t even go anywhere, yet here he was listening to you. The alcohol in your system was giving you an honest, but loose tongue.
Your head snapped back up towards him when you heard your name being called in a sharp tone. He’s looking at you with those beautiful eyes, but instead of the normal mischief you’d usually found in them, it was replaced with incredulity, sadness, and maybe even anger.
You sat up in the chair as he glared at you with a myriad of complicated emotions circling in his eyes. You were preparing for him to kick you out, to tell you to leave his cell, so you began to try and stand on wobbly feet, but stopped your movements at the sound of his hypnotizing voice.
“Sit. Down.” He commanded with furrowed brows, and you found your body automatically following his orders, sitting back down slowly in the comfortable and highly expensive chair. He takes a deep breath before speaking again.
“You must be truly oblivious if you cannot see how incredible of a person you are. How wonderful you are to be around. How dare speak about yourself so callously? As if you are not one of the most precious beings on this planet? As if you are not worthy? You should not care what others think of you. Not your friend, not your pathetic father, or anyone else for that matter. If they fail to see what you truly are, if they cannot see what I see and appreciate you as you are, then they simply do not deserve you. I am aware that I do not deserve you either, but I am selfish and do not care. Not anymore. I am truly blessed by the Norns to have you as a companion and confidant in this horrifying prison. If you do not believe anything else, do not forget that I returned here for you. You have made the tragic mistake and did the impossible by befriending a being like me, and like a pest, I will be very hard to get rid of. You are not alone here. Your situation may be incredibly different from my own, but I believe we are one in the same.”
You knew that he was trying to make you feel better in his own Loki-like way, but all his words did was spur you to cry even more. You wanted to hug him, you wanted to hug him so badly. Touch his hand. Feel some sort of contact and connection. But you couldn’t, and you began to spiral, opening up to him about things you haven’t told him before, things you have never told anyone.
“Loki, I-I’m scared.” You stutter out. He leans closer to you, so close that you could feel the warmth of the heat radiating from his body. “I’m scared of a lot of things. Sometimes, I don’t know what’s real or not. I don’t always know what to do.”
“Darling, you can tell me anything. What is it that you are afraid of?” He asks. “Do not be overwhelmed. Start with one thing, and we will figure out the rest together.”
You look away, biting your bottom lip hard before speaking up. “T-there was this guy, um, that I’ve told you about before. His name is Jacob,” You say quietly.
Loki nods, dark brows knitting in recognition, teeth gritting at the mention of his name. “The brother of your friend, yes.”
“Y-yeah, um, well, one day, the day I was at the school’s scholarship mixer, he showed up and we had um, exchanged words. I had been avoiding him because he wanted to take me on a date, and he didn’t like that, and I was really scared even though I was trying not to show it.”
Loki didn’t have to know exactly what was said to know that this boy had been disrespectful to you.
“And you told no one about this?” He asks, eyes darkening.
You shook your head. “He threatened me and my father if I did tell anyone. Maybe I deserved it, but my dad doesn’t deserve to be dragged into my problems. He doesn’t deserve to get his professional reputation ruined all because I turned someone down. So I stayed quiet about it. But I did tell Kayla what he was doing, and she got him to back off, which I’m so grateful for. But I’m still having nightmares about someone, and I think it’s him. The day you came to Kayla’s house, I was having a really bad nightmare. It felt as if someone was on top of me. Crushing me, almost suffocating me, and I still remember it til this day. I think about it everyday.” Tears start to fall down your face. “And what’s worse is that I can’t tell if it was really a nightmare or if it was actually real, because I-I had marks, bruises on… me, and I don’t know where they came from a-and I had a few drinks with Kayla that night but I felt like there was something else going on with me. Like I was … drugged or something, but that sounds absolutely crazy, right? That’s impossible because how would that have happened? None of it seemed real and I brushed it off for the longest time, but when you told me that you left the tower and you were actually there that night, I realized that the other things that happened may not have been out of the realm of possibility like I thought they were. And now I have all the insane thoughts and don’t know what to do.”
Loki had listened to you ramble on patiently, but because of your blurry vision, you had yet to see how the expression on his face slowly darkened more and more than ever before as you went on. He believed everything that you were saying, but what he could not believe was that you were revealing all of this to him now. How could you have kept all of this a secret from everyone, especially him? Why did it take this long for you to tell someone, especially him? You were harassed, you were threatened, and yes, he can now confirm that you were in fact assaulted. You may not have realized it and thought it was just a bad dream, but after what he witnessed that night, and after what you just revealed to him, he believed it to be one hundred percent true.
Hot heat coursed through his veins, and his blood felt as if it was made of fire. He was upset. He was enraged. He was livid, and it was all on your behalf. How did the Avengers not see what was happening to you? How could your so-called friends let you wallow in misery alone? How could your deadbeat of a father trust that everyone in the tower had good intentions around you? You brought serenity to everyone around you, yet they couldn’t look past themselves to see that you needed help. You were highly intelligent and good at helping everyone else with their problems, including him, yet you were just a young woman that was struggling to realize you needed help yourself.
Loki sat up on his knees and leaned towards you, gripping your chin lightly in his hand and pulling your face up to meet his own. His green eyes bore deeply into yours as he searched within them.
“Do not ever keep things like this away from me. Not anymore. You tell me immediately if anything else happens to you. I want to know. I need to know. Someone has to take care of you, since you have shown yourself incapable of doing so. Do you understand me?”
If you weren’t so surprised by his sudden closeness and his touch, you’d be protesting against what he was saying. But you were trapped in his hypnotizing gaze and all you could do was nod and and verbally agree.
You both stay in the same position for a moment, simply staring into each other's eyes in silence, neither of you wanting to pull away yet. Your eyes made the mistake of trailing over his face, taking in his beautiful yet masculine features, before trailing down to his lips. You get the sudden urge to do something more than simply stare at him, and you immediately jerk away from his hold and jump up out of your seat, causing your head to spin and you to stumble forward, tripping over the rug in the process.
Loki immediately grabs onto you to catch you, but your sudden falling has him falling backwards as well, and before you know it you were both on the floor. Once you climb out of your disoriented state, your mind clears and your body stiffens as you realize the position you were in. Loki was laid flat on his back staring back up at you in surprise while you were sprawled out awkwardly on top of him.
You meet his eyes and with your own wide ones and he blinks up at you as if he also just realized the position you both found yourselves in. His body felt hard and toned, but strangely comfortable, like you were meant to be there. His hands were still gripping your waist tightly which was probably to keep you on top of him to soften the blow you’d get when you both fell, but you found yourself wishing that those warm hands would stay there forever. You wanted the both of you to stay here forever, and that thought made you even more nervous.
Again, you both stay like that for a moment, chest to chest, breathing in each other's air, feeling the comforting warmth of your bodies, and you swore you could see his eyes dilate and darken even further, the green ring being swallowed by black. Then you feel his body tense up and his hands grip you even tighter before he follows with equally heartbreaking and confusing words.
“I think you need to leave.” He whispers.
Before you could do anything, you heard the sound of the door to the room unlocking, causing you both to whip your heads over to the door, and before you knew it, Loki had you both up on your feet and about five feet away from one another.
It happened so fast that you didn’t even know how he managed to do it, but before you could think about it further, the door opened, revealing none other than Tony Stark, who stepped in with a few guards in tow behind him. Two of the guards walked in with smug looks on their faces as they met your gaze, and you immediately recognized them, which made you frown in confusion. You looked over at Loki who seemed just as confused, and a bit on edge.
“Black bean, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” Tony exclaims, clearly drunk as well with a giddy smile on his face, but sobered up when he met Loki’s gaze. “Loki.” He mutters dismissively.
“Um, hey Tony,” You greet in an awkward manner, not exactly sure what this all was about. “What do you need?”
“What do I need? Nothing! I have everything a man could need, maybe with the exception of another drink,” He smirks. “But clearly that’s not why I came down here. I was asking about your whereabouts when Thor told me that he was on his way to get you, but I offered to come instead, because I wanted you to meet our new Head of Security before the night was over. I believe you may already be familiar with him.” Tony sent you a not so discreet wink before turning back to the open door, asking the mystery person to come in.
Before you could comprehend exactly who Tony was talking about, your eyes traveled to the door and met a cold and unfortunately, familiar blue gaze as they casually walked in the room.
Your eyes widened and you sucked in an audible breath at the sight of the person, and you heard a growl-like noise emit from the god next to you as the Head of Security neared the cell, staring right at you.
“We meet again, what a coincidence.” Jacob slithers with an infuriating smirk set on his face.
A/N: Likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated!
F&F
Tag List: (Again, if you would like to be tagged let me know, but please be sure to either comment or reblog. Not forcing anyone to do either, but I'm also not going out of my way to tag any who doesn't interact with the story. Just a friendly FYI) (Also, thank you to those few who continue to comment. Love you guys sm 💚)
No, the title does not refer to Rey only, adopting the name Skywalker and rising as a Jedi while taking on their legacy.
It’s also about Ben Solo rising as the Last Skywalker, a fact that Palpatine reminds us of, just before throwing him down the pit. This is done as an act of revenge towards all Skywalkers, and without any second thoughts over his eventual return.
As once I fell, so falls the last Skywalker / Palpatine
The last Skywalker is also a parallel to episode 8 when Kylo threatened Luke to kill the last Jedi.
And when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi / Kylo Ren
But Kylo did not kill Luke, as Ben was not killed by Palpatine, and this takes us back to the hero’s journey.
I will not be the last Jedi / Luke
Indeed Luke was not the Last Jedi, thanks to his sacrifice, Rey was… and TROS follows exactly the same structure.
Ben Solo, the last Skywalker, finds himself in a place of complete darkness, and alone, but rises, clawing his way out and finding his way back to his soulmate. Even after his turn, following the vision (a memory) of the father whose message of unconditional love he finally understood, Ben’s journey is not over. He has to seek the light when it is the hardest, when hope is gone.
Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you’ll never make it through the night. / Leia
And he does, reaching for Rey, lifeless under a singular ray of light, like a beacon surrounded by the shadows of the fallen Sith world.
Ben has to make all the righteous choices in spite of the absolute terror of being alone again without her, he has to transcend human failures and fears, and detach himself, let go of his own needs and desires, for Rey, because he will give everything to her and keep nothing.
Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi / Luke
I am finding peace in the absolute certitude that Ben Solo, made all the right choices once he forgave himself for his father’s death, which was necessary in his redemptive arc. (see my meta : Forgiveness is the path to redemption : sw-daydreamer.tumblr.com/post/169956822594/forgiveness-is-the-path-to-redemption)
When he chose to breathe life back into Rey. You can hear him breathe in and out and it is so peaceful, and there is a meditative quality to it. There is no torment, once he has made the choice. The anguish of her passing and his fears are gone.
Ben follows the journey accomplished by Luke in The Last Jedi, when first he had to face the consequences of his actions against his nephew, and forgave himself, letting go of the resentment and pain, which held him back alone on the island. He made room for love, but a selfless love, displayed in an act of sacrifice. (see my meta : Ben understood Luke’s sacrifice : sw-daydreamer.tumblr.com/post/169818190479/ben-understood-lukes-sacrifice)
It is uncertain whether Ben knew he would die too, like his uncle, but I think he sensed it, and remained unafraid. How could one save a life so easily, healing is one thing, but it is very likely that all his life Force was required and that he understood that himself.
Later as we see him fade away, as Luke did, there is a shot of Rey looking over him with the sky above, symbolising the ascension of the spirit. I don’t know where is soul has gone, but the angle creates a sense of elevation that is undeniable.
We went from the depth of the earth to the limitless openness of the sky. Freedom at last.
This is also, where Rey looked at and search for a connection to all the Jedi, calling them to be with her. Where she found help. They were not helping Rey only, they were also helping Ben, because they are one, forever connected across space and time as a Dyad, soulmates within the Force. Do not forget.
Death is not the end.
When Ben finds the way to bring back, from death, the one he loves, he accomplishes what his grand father had not been able to do.
Where Padme died, he is the one who dies, and where the Sith Lord Vader rose, it is Rey, the Jedi who does.
The mirror image closes the circle of the journey, and redeems not only the protagonists who stumbled and fell along the way, but also the name Skywalker.
Rey honours that name. It is the flame of her love for Ben Solo and his family.
Skywalker, in the title, is not a person, it is not Rey or Ben, it’s not even their name. It’s the spirits of the Jedi they carry with them and the connections they make. it’s an ideal, a way of life.
TROS means to say we can all be a part of the legacy, if we follow the right path. It is an invitation to journey along.
When they both align themselves together, side by side in perfect synchronicity, Palpatine says:
Stand together, die together!
As he brings them both to their knees, it looks like the power of the “two that are one” is reacting to the aggression, there is a flow of energy coming from both of them, that flows to Palpatine’s hands. At that moment his fingers half melt away, he then looks in wonder at his hands that are suddenly regaining a human like shape, fingers growing back, like a rebirth.
The life Force of your bond…. A Dyad in the Force …. a power like life itself. Unseen for generations. And now the power of 2 restores the one… (pause) true Emperor. / Palpatine
If you remove true emperor after the pause, it is foreshadowing the fact that it is the power of the Dyad that allows Ben to resurrect Rey. It is only because of their connection that this ability can be mastered. So no Palpatine did not break anything.
For me the Dyad is unbreakable, because it is a connection across time and space, it is limitless, I find it extremely romantic, It’s eternal love.
That’s very interesting (and kind of comforting too), so thank you very much for that @sw-daydreamer.
I still need an explanation for Ben Solo’s complete “disappearance”, not physically, but as a hero that is remembered and mourned. I DON’T understand Rey’s reaction (or lack of reaction) a,d his absence at the end.
@luciefee I am really happy if this helps you feeling a little better, I know it helps me.
Regarding Ben Solo not being mourned.
From a technical perspective, I think the editing was rushed all over the movie, lacking intelligence and damaging emotional scenes. It’s clear they needed more time to work on it. That’s why I am, against all odds, hoping for an extended cut, where they will make changes and let some scenes play out, giving time to the characters and audience to feel the emotions at play.
From a story telling point of view. The Dyad is unbreakable, (die together says Palpatine), but Rey is not dead, she is alive, well that means that Ben must be too, in some way. I don’t know where he is, and there are several theories, and it is highly possible that even JJ does not know. But I think Rey feels him in the Force, and she knows they are one ( the power of two restores the one), even though I know many fans hate the idea, or that he is elsewhere, some have suggested the world beyond the worlds for instance, but their connection is forever and if the power of the Dyad could rebuild the body of Palpatine, why not Ben’s body.
From a directing point of view, JJ wanted to bring all the focus back on his Jedi, the heroine, it was clear from the start of the movie, she was at the center of the story. So instead of letting us see a grieving Rey, looking to the past he choses to show the hopeful Rey, looking to the future with the, ironically, binary sunset shot, because after breaking our hearts he quickly had to finish on a happy and positive note.
Taking on the name Skywalker is also an acknowledgment of Ben, the hero, the last Skywalker. She took his hand, they stood side by side, they exchanged silent vows : to be there for each other, so you could say that they also formed a marital union and the taking of his legacy name is a confirmation of this.
Sorry for another Loki painting, but I don’t want to leave old ideas for the new year, so I’m kind of rapidly painting things. Wanted to try something more illustration-type, because realism has started tiring me. But man, isn’t Loki’s outfit a bitch to paint anyway.
Resurrection themes have always surrounded Kylo/Ben’s journey, and I think that his journey is not at an end. The resurrection theme is still in play and is implied in multiple ways throughout the trilogy.
The Cross-guard Saber
There has certainly been heavy symbolism in the design of Kylo’s saber. Cross-guard swords were designed in the Medieval times to protect the wielder’s hand. With Kylo this was inverted. The cross-guard saber, unlike the blade, offers no protection and only increases the danger of self-harm, and the self-harm and self-destruction has been an ongoing motif for Kylo. In some ways, the cross-guard was a sign of knights/chivalry. In this case, it was an indication of his chivalry and protection, particularly towards the lady (Rey). Now, for the purpose of this meta, the final theme of the cross-guard carries the most weight: the religious themes of the fall of Lucifer and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Initially Kylo represents the fallen angel who was cast out of heaven (The Jedi Temple) by God the father (Luke) and the padawans (fellow angels). At the end of the trilogy, Kylo transforms back into Ben to serve as a Christ-like figure. Palpatine throws him into the pit (the descent to hell and the harrowing of hell) and he ascends again, this time as Ben Solo again to save Rey (sacrificing himself for the sins of his predecessors). Now that he has ascended from the Earth plane and entered purgatory (world between worlds) we start to see Dante’s Inferno themes. The final resurrection of Ben Solo would be a remerge of the soul, and half of it lives in Rey. The sins are being resolved/absolved in purgatory (world between worlds) and will be reunited with its other half in the land of the living and then finally depart the earthly plane together, as a whole, and ascend back to heaven.
The Dyad, the Cosmic Force, and the Living Force
The word “Dyad,” which is derived from the Greek dyás (δυάς) meaning “pair,” is the most basic human social group. The dyad is the most foundational human relationship, whether it’s husband and wife, parent and child, or teacher and student. No social group could come to exist without this foundational connection.
The Dyad also represents the duality of nature. Light and dark, black and white, night and day, masculine and feminine. One may not exist without the other, for one only exists at the contrasting juxtaposition of the other, and vice versa. There would be no light if the darkness didn’t exist as the contrast. There would be no masculine were there no feminine to provide the contrast, etc. A dyad in the force carries the same principle; there is no balance or even the existence of the duality of the light and the dark if the two parts of the whole aren’t in coexistence. And currently, the force isn’t in balance due to half of the dyad not existing with the living force. Unless the dyad is made complete again, the force will once again be imbalanced, this time in the light.
Artwork source
If half of the dyad is remaining with the living force, the other half cannot become one with the cosmic force. It will remain tethered in limbo/purgatory until reunited with its other half. Ben cannot truly pass on to become one with the force without his counterpart Rey.
A Dyad is one being split into two corporal forms. Ben and Rey are together are “the original Dyad” or otherwise known as “The Prime Jedi.” Several pieces of imagery in the movies & artwork as well as references in written cannon materials have indicated that the Prime Jedi is reincarnated once more (as Ben . and Rey) and that it has chosen to bring balance to the force once more not by coming to the living world as one being but as two halves, whose coming together will achieve the balance.
A blatant reference to this ancient soul being reincarnated once more is made by Han Solo in The Last Shot:
“Little Ben looked up groggily, those dark eyes settling on Han, studying him. Han had no idea how a two-year-old could have such ancient eyes. It was as if Ben had been waiting around for a millennium to show up at just this moment in history.”
The directors have also alluded to this duality in Rey and Ben:
Two sides of the same coin
Two halves of the protagonist
It isn’t until Ben Solo is ten years old and begins his Jedi training that the other half of The Prime Jedi is reincarnated in Rey. That Rey’s birth coincided with Ben Solo’s Jedi training is a form of “activation” by the force. Now that the journey to finding balance has begun with Ben Solo’s training, the other half of the soul is born to complete the activation. The activation is however separate from the “awakening,” which doesn’t happen until “The Force Awakens.”
The Awakening does not occur until the souls come into close proximity with one another, which happens when Ben/Kylo lands on Jakku (for the first time in his life). This “Awakening” is preplanned by the soul to happen at a particular point in time before it chooses to be reincarnated once more. As soon as Kylo landed on Jakku, the fate & destiny are set in motion by Rey meeting BB-8, which subsequently leads to meeting Finn. Due to being affiliated with these two Rey has to board the millennium falcon, leading to a meeting with Han Solo, which brings her closer to her other half, Han Solo’s son Ben Solo. From following Han to Takodana, Rey finally meets her other half, a meeting that was destined to occur at that point in time. And also experiences her “call to serve” with the liightsaber vision.
From the very beginning, cannon materials heavily imply that these two recognize each other and that they are drawn to each other.
She had seen this man before…in a daydream. Or a nightmare.
She found herself inexplicably drawn to…to….“YOU”
The girl I’ve heard so much about
Don’t be afraid, I feel it too
These aren’t actual memories or recognition of each other in this incarnated lifetime. It is from cellular memory on the spiritual plane. Half of the soul recognizes the other half and has memories of the other half that transcend this life cycle.
Since the activation occurred on Jakku, the two halves of the soul have been subconsciously and through the cosmic force seeking to be united with each other. Like magnets drawn to each other, they seek completion. The merge of the halves officially occurs when Rey and Ben enter each other’s minds. Once the merge occurs it can no longer be undone. Once the merge begins, it keeps strengthening to bring the halves to each other, which we see in their ever-strengthening bond. The merge transcends space time, eventually strengthening to the point that the halves can enter each other’s physical surroundings.
In TLJ, we see the soul beginning to “know” the other half once more. We see Rey being drawn to the darkness and being drawn to the light.
This dynamic is drawn from Taosim, Buddhism, and Gnosticism. And the imagery littered throughout the sequel trilogy is drawn heavily from those belief systems. We see continuous parallel shots with Rey and Ben to represent this duality. Both are presented in contrasting surroundings that represent the duality of the masculine and the feminine. In many shots half of their figure is bathed in light and the other half is bathed in the darkness. This is the process of coming to “know” the memory of the other half of the soul following the merge.
At the end of TLJ we see the halves creating an unnatural separation between themselves, but this is folly because the separation is not sustainable and is not one that can be created through the living force, for the soul is merged through the cosmic force. Naturally, when “the bond” reopens at the beginning of TROS, it is stronger than ever. Objects can be transferred through the bond and can be activated on purpose by each other, which we see Ben doing several times in the beginning to try to reach Rey.
This connection is as spiritual as it is romantic. As Jason Fry explained, romance is merely the analog we have in the living force for this deep spiritual bond. In the living world, the halves of the soul finds unity through romantic coupling, which is the basis for the concept of “soulmates” or “twin flames.” This is a form of bond that cannot be broken and was destined to occur due to the soul being split in order to seek completion in the physical plane. One cannot live and be happy without the other, and we see this frustration/anger in Ben at the beginning of the movie. He has become increasingly angry and thrown-off balance into darkness once more due to being separated from his soulmate. We see that Rey is also thrown off balance and regressed completely into the darkness due to being separated from her souulmate. Both are incredibly frustrated at this outcome and are struggling to connect with the cosmic force due to this separation. We see this struggle in Rey from the beginning when she’s meditating and try to become one with the other Jedi but cannot achieve this until she is completely merged once more with the other half of the soul (which we see at the end of the film). We see Ben struggling to reach his grandfather and other predecessors on several occasions throughout the trilogy, and although we do not see it on screen, much like Rey, Ben could not have found the strength to climb out of the pit without assistance from the cosmic force. The living force between them had dwindled (equally) and the strength of the cosmic force was necessary for Ben to climb, reach the other half, and transfer the remaining living force to revive Rey.
Now this transfer of the living force is NOT a transfer of the other half of the soul into one being. The living force is separate from the cosmic force. The soul exists in the cosmic force. Without enough living force to sustain the cosmic force of the soul in the physical plane, Ben’s soul is no longer existing in the physical plane. However, as long as the other half of the soul continues to exist in the physical plane, becoming one with the cosmic force is not a possibility for the soul that has been split in half. This is why we do not see a force ghost for Ben. He cannot become one with the cosmic force as half a soul. Only the two of them together can become one with the cosmic force. Therefore, Ben’s half of the soul is being tethered in the in-between world (the astral plane, limbo, purgatory, world between worlds, etc) by Rey’s half of the soul remaining in the physical plane, unable to become one with the cosmic force or the living force due to the living force being diminished for half of the soul. The living force must be replenished in the other half of the soul during its stay in the in-between world, remerge once more with the other half on the physical plane, and depart TOGETHER at the end of the soul’s life cycle in order to become one with the cosmic force.
We even hear Palpatine allude to this: “Die together!”
Halves cannot die separately. One cannot depart while the other is still alive. Additionally, the balance is once again thrown off in the living force by only half of this great cosmic force existing on the plane. Palpatine remarked that Ben and Rey’s bond is strong enough that it is a form of life in itself. By only Rey existing in the physical plane, the scale is once again tipped, this time to the light side. In order for balance to attained fully, Ben Solo must be resurrected and reunited with his other half, Rey.
We only see Rey rising in TROS. We do not see Ben rising. “Darkness rises and light to meet it.” Conversely, if the light must rise, so should darkness to meet it in order to achieve balance. If one must rise, so should the other. Therefore, Ben must “rise” once more in the physical plane for the cycle to be complete.
The World Between Worlds
In Rebels, we are introduced to the concept of “The World Between Worlds.” Although not infinite like the cosmic force, the WBW is not constrained by the laws of space time. On this plane, anything that has ever happened or will ever happen exists simultaneously, not in a linear fashion such as the time experienced on the physical plane.
In Rebels, Ezra sees Ashoka battling Darth Vader (which occurs in the past on the physical plane). In order to save Ashoka from her impending death at the finally blow by Darth Vader, he pulls her through a doorway which brings them both back to the physical plane. To clarify, the souls who have already become one with the cosmic force cannot be returned to the physical plane and the living force unless they choose to reincarnate. Only the souls who are trapped in the in-between world may be brought back to the living world. Those who are one with the cosmic force can return to influence the physical plane as “force ghosts” but those who are in the in between world cannot do this. They are essentially trapped in the world between worlds until they are either merged with the cosmic force or “resurrected” in the living force. We do not see a force ghost for Ben, which indicates that he is not one with the cosmic force and is currently trapped/tethered in the world between worlds.
Another movie that explores this higher dimension in depth is Interstellar. Cooper is drawn into a “world between worlds” or a dimension higher than the physical plane through a black hole, in which time does not exist in a linear fashion. All of the moments that have happened or will ever happen in his daughter Murph’s bedroom are organized into a tesseract system by beings of higher dimensions so that cooper may influence these events and send Murph messages through manipulating gravity within her bedroom.
Other hints or foreshadowing of Ben not being one with the cosmic force after he vanishes
“My son is alive.” -Han Solo in TFA and TROS
This quote in particular is emphasized throughout the trilogy. While it means that Ben Solo can still be redeemed, like many statements in the sequel trilogy, it has a double meaning. This is also a foreshadow that Ben is still “alive.”
“Skywalker lives! As long as he does, HOPE lives in the galaxy!” - Snoke in TLJ
Many of us have noted how this “Snoke-ism” was referring to Ben, particularly because he pops into the frame as soon as the word “hope” is said. This is also a multi-meaning foreshadow. Hope cannot exist in the galaxy if Ben isn’t in the living world, reunited with his half.
“The last Skywalker.” - Palpatine referring to Ben in The Rise of Skywalker
Although we are all rightfully disgruntled about Rey taking on the Skywalker name, I do not believe that the title was meant to refer to her. Particularly when paired with Palpatine’s description of Ben as the last Skywalker, the title of the movie is rather curious. Much like many other statements, it is likely a foreshadowing of Ben’s eventual rise to complete the “Skywalker” with Rey.
“The Story Lives Forever.” - TROS trailer over a shot of Ben and Rey
Another foreshadowing that although the saga is ending, the characters that the trilogy is about does not end. This phrase was not put over a shot of Rey, but over both Ben AND Rey, which can only imply that their story won’t be over at the conclusion of the saga.
“We’re not done yet.” - Kylo to Rey in TFA
A really early foreshadow that Ben and Rey aren’t “done yet.” The story is not “done yet.”
“I’ll come back for you sweetheart, I promise.” - Rey’s dream in TFA novel
Many of us have picked up on the similarity to Han Solo in that term of endearment. It is believed in many cultures and belief systems that we enter higher dimensions in our dreams. Some claim of accessing the astral plane through their dreams. In this dream when Rey hears this, she goes looking for the person who said it and comes face to face with Ben. Ben only exists in her future so this was Rey being attuned to a dimension not limited by space time. And we know that even though Rey appears to be upset about Ben’s “passing,” she doesn’t seem distraught, which she absolutely would be if she started sobbing so strongly when she stabbed him on the death star. This statement was said by Ben to Rey after they kissed through their bond before he leaves her. This is why Rey is not distraught. She knows that this parting is not their end due to this assurance.
The multiple instances of healing and resurrection we see in TROS
Many are healed and resurrected both physically and spiritually: The creature, Ben Solo, Palpatine, and Rey. All of this resurrection foreshadows that the last Skywalker can also be resurrected.
In any case, “Hope is like the Sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” -General Leia Organa
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